Posted on 12/08/2006 8:17:53 AM PST by Graybeard58
AUSTIN — Undocumented immigrants have boosted the state's economy by $17.7 billion and haven't been a drain on state government — but they did cost local governments $929 million in 2005, the Texas comptroller's office reported Thursday.
The report by Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is the first comprehensive effort by the state government to calculate the benefits and costs of having 1.4 million to 1.6 million undocumented immigrants in Texas.
Overall, the survey found undocumented immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in state services.
But the report's results quickly became part of a brewing legislative debate over whether it is right for people who are in the country illegally to receive services paid for by citizens and legal resident taxpayers.
Most of the undocumented immigrants in Texas are from Latin America, predominantly Mexico. They are the working poor, doing service and construction jobs. But they also will send $5.2 billion home to their native countries this year, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.
In her recent unsuccessful campaign for governor, Strayhorn said the federal government needs to halt illegal immigration. On Thursday, she said her report showed the need for federal immigration reform to make sure needed workers are in the country legally.
"It certainly demonstrates that you need a guest worker program, but you also need a fair immigration plan," Strayhorn said.
The Strayhorn report used a model that was built on how much undocumented immigrants earn as well as the return on capital from their labor to produce an impact on the gross state product. The $17.7 billion positive impact on the state's economy does not factor in any effects of the immigrants sending money home.
The report estimated there are 135,000 undocumented children in the public school system, costing the state $957 million a year. Another 3,792 are in state colleges, costing about $11.2 million.
The cost for the state supplying health care programs for undocumented immigrants was set at $57.9 million.
The state prison system on an average day held 8,931 illegal immigrants, costing a total of $130.6 million a year, the report stated.
The total cost for state services was $1.15 billion, but undocumented immigrants, through sales and property taxes, provided $1.58 billion in taxes for the state. That was a net positive impact to state finances of $424.7 million, Strayhorn said.
But there was a negative impact on local governments.
The total cost to incarcerate immigrants who commit crimes was estimated to be $49 million for counties statewide.
Strayhorn's office estimated the cost was $18.9 million for Harris County, the highest in the state. Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley was second at $5.2 million.
Bexar County was fifth in the state, with an annual cost of $3.9 million.
Another $92.9 million is being spent on courts and probation systems to handle undocumented immigrants.
The biggest local cost was for indigent health care provided by counties and local hospital districts, estimated at $1.3 billion statewide.
But undocumented immigrants in 2005 paid $513 million in local sales and property taxes, leaving a $929 million gap payment gap for local services.
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who has introduced controversial legislation to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants, said he believes the costs are much higher than those in Strayhorn's report.
Citing a study done by the conservative Lone Star Foundation, Berman said the total cost to the state is $4.5 billion a year to provide services to immigrants, but he said they pay just $1 billion in tax collections.
"This is the net loss to the taxpayers of the state," he said.
Berman said he also supports a guest worker program because the immigrants are needed for the economy. But he said he does not want them to receive any state or local services that are not mandated by federal law.
4% of the population makes up 27% of US prison population.
Does that begin to be responsible?
If illegals hurt California so much, how come California is the richest state in the union? California's GDP (excluding the entire rest of USA) would rank it 5th in the world as a stand-alone economic power.
Ummm.
MMMMMMMMMmmmmm K.
Tainted spinach is good for you.
Second hand smoke kills 10,000,000 a year.
And Oh...
Let's not forget Global Warming.
fyi, non citizen are 27 percent of the federal prison but only about 6.4 percent of all prisoners if you include state and local. AND FURTHERMORE, NON CITIZENS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE IN JAIL THAN CITIZENS.
here is a nice post from a different thread
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Ok, here's some real data. It's from the DOJ BJS that I mentioned earlier. Here's the URL for the whole report on prisoners in state and federal custody.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pjim05.pdf
Basic data, at table 6 on page 5. 6.4% of all prisoners are non-citizens. I believe the basic estimates for all non-citizens in the population is about 10%, but I'll check.
One surprise in figures -- non-citizens not rising very fast. Was about 88,800 in 1999 and 91,000 in 2005.
From other sources, the percentage of all non-citizens among federal prisoners is much higher (c. 28%), but the vast majority of all prisoners are in State and local custody (about 90%), not federal. Since immigration violations are federal, and especially crimes by illegal entrants are also federal crimes, the higher proportion in federal custody is not surprising.
So, based on this data, and I'd welcome others if any one has data, it looks like total proportion of non-citizens in prison is probably less than the proportion of all US citizens in prison.
37 posted on 12/03/2006 5:41:14 PM EST by BohDaThone
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You can describe 'em as "Undocumented Immigrants" until Hell freezes over, but they're still "ILLEGAL"
Then you also would agree that ALL STUDIES CONDEMNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION without knowing the total, ARE ALSO FLAWED AND UNRELIABLE.
As the late great Milton Friedman said, "mass immigration with a welfare state makes no sense" Now I don't see the welfare state going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, current immigration only grows the welfare state. Importing millions of poor unskilled people is a huge drain on the economy. Whether it's through lower wages for the working class or higher taxes to service the poverty imported. The only people that support this mess are the corporate welfare elite.
I did read the article. And no, they really didn't factor in the cost to the taxpayers.
I did not realize it took a college degree to mow a lawn. I had no idea the illegals were taking the jobs of college graduates.
A lot of these parents are being paid under the table. Even the ones who aren't aren't putting anywhere near enough money back into the economy to pay for education, health care, and other various public services. It's just not happening.
The real issue is "Who will rule us?" catenated with "Who are the Americans?"
When did we vote to be overrun by the citizens of another nation, loyal to themselves and that nation?
When did we vote to allow the descendants of the Conquistadors renege on every treaty they ever signed and occupy our land with malice aforethought?
This isn't "immigration". It's out and out intentional invasion, with the ultimate goal being political control of the people and resources of the United States.
When did invasion become a civil right? And for who?
Let me tell you about mowing lawns. My husband teaches in an agricultural school and a lot of their students have traditionally come from either farm families or students who have worked in jobs like mowing lawns in high schools. Less and less students are coming for these majors. My husband goes out and markets to get new students and has a chance to talk with both high school students and other recruiters. A major reason why their numbers are down is that these jobs are increasingly being taken over by illegals; our high school students are not doing them and are therefore not as aware of this as a potential career. Not mowing lawns, but getting into other areas of an agricultural nature. Mowing lawns, etc. have been an important gateway.
My step-son was a very shy and incredibly insecure young college student at one point. He worked as a bus boy in a restaurant all the way through college; he was too shy and insecure to be a waiter. Today, he's doing very well in a professional job, but he was a late boomer. Today, these jobs are not even available because ALL of them in our area have been taken over by illegals.
I really like the individual illegals I've met. But I also realize that they are not helping our economy over the long run.
"It's widely been reported that illegal aliens comprise upwards of 27 percent of the U.S. prison and jail population. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection--two agencies within the Department of Homeland Security--claim in several reports that they've apprehended over 100,000 criminal aliens whose offenses go far beyond violation of immigration laws and regulations.
That figure doesn't include llegal aliens arrested and incarcerated in state and local penal institutions. "
Correct! Wages would go up and the costs of goods would go up to reflect the costs of labor. I would not mind paying 25% more for my agriculture products, etc. if it would bring the immigration problem under control. The market will always adjust to the supply of labor available. Capitalism works!
The problem with ILLEGALS is only hampered further by the media's insistence at using the term, IMMIGRANTS. They are NOT immigrants! They are flat-out, scummy, little lawbreakers and border-jumpers. How about using correct English here. Seems to me, the subject of English is a requirement for getting any kind of a degree in the U.S. whether it be grammar school, high school, or further...
Ok, how is this for correct "English".
THEY ARE IMMIGRANTS.
They may be lawbreakers and border jumpers, scummy, etc.
But they are immigrants. They are humans.
Here is how it works. All people are humans, and all mexicans are humans, but not all humans are mexicans.
Similarly, All illegals are immigrants, but not all immigrants are illegals.
Ok but would you want to see interest rates go up as a result of inflation which would kill the stock market, kill the housing market and possibly cause another banking crises as a result ?
This is a crock of horse Shiitte!
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